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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23791621">Seeing Swoop</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlushLouise/pseuds/BlushLouise'>BlushLouise</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Doorwings and Dinobots [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Autobot mistreatment of Dinobots, Cute, Fluff, M/M, background bullying</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:27:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23791621</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlushLouise/pseuds/BlushLouise</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prowl is surprised to wake up in medbay - not because he's waking up in medbay, but because there's a Dinobot taking care of him. He's even more surprised when Ratchet assigns said Dinobot to him as a semi-permanent wrangler.<br/>But it turns out that there's more to Swoop than Prowl had thought. Maybe even to the Dinobots than they'd all thought. And it takes one sweet, shy, gentle, caring mech to make him see it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Prowl/Swoop</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Doorwings and Dinobots [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2044570</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Prowl Week</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Seeing Swoop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartsGuardianSol/gifts">HeartsGuardianSol</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So HeartsGuardianSol won the giveaway for my 200 followers on Twitter! And the fic request was for something fluffy with Swoop, since there are few pairings with him and he deserves the love :D It was supposed to be a 1k thing, but then my Dinobots feels took over and now here we are. This is very likely to get more chapters!<br/>Also, HeartsGuardianSol has her birthday coming up, so maybe we can consider the extra words an early birthday present ;)</p><p>Posting this in the middle of Prowl Week, although it doesn't really add up to today's prompt. Consider it a contribution for the whole week :)</p><p>This is also my 50th fic on Ao3, so hey! Celebrations all around!</p><p>Hope you like!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first time Prowl woke up in medbay after a crash to see Swoop minding him instead of First Aid, he damn near fell off the berth. Swoop was all apologetic, as if it was his fault that Prowl had startled so badly that he tore out a couple of lines. Ratchet was grumpy, threatening bodily harm while gently reconnecting him to the monitors.</p><p>“Me Swoop not mean to scare you Prowl,” Swoop said, slowly reaching out to pat Prowl’s arm. “Me Swoop medical apprentice now. Take good care of you Prowl.”</p><p>In the privacy of his own mind, Prowl doubted the wisdom of making a <em>Dinobot</em> a medical apprentice. They just didn’t seem to have the mental capacity for it. But at least it was Swoop and not, for instance, Slag. Swoop probably wouldn’t set anything on fire. Probably.</p><p> </p><p>The second time, he at least knew to expect Swoop there. The Dinobot hovered over him, patting his arm again when he looked up, offering a smile that was almost timid. “You Prowl crash again. You Prowl be more careful.”</p><p>“I have too much to do to be careful,” Prowl replied with a wince. His head really hurt this time. “Optimus depends on my calculations.”</p><p>“Him Optimus depend too much on you Prowl,” Swoop scolded. “You Prowl tell him Optimus to slow down.”</p><p>Prowl cracked a small smile. He couldn’t help it. Swoop sounded very much like Ratchet. “Sounds like you’re being trained well, Swoop.”</p><p>That had the Dinobot light up in pride. “Him Ratchet say me Swoop have a-fin-ity for medic work. Me Swoop asset.”</p><p>“Ratchet often knows what he’s talking about.” Prowl dimmed his optics again. The medbay lights were entirely too bright.</p><p>“You Prowl recharge some more,” Swoop said, and a soft weight settled over Prowl. The medbay blankets, he realized. “Me Swoop take care of you Prowl.”</p><p>That was kind of nice.</p><p> </p><p>The third time, Swoop looked frustrated the moment Prowl woke up. “You Prowl not being careful. Still work too hard. Me Swoop sit on you Prowl if you Prowl not slow down.”</p><p>“I have no choice,” Prowl replied. Primus, everything ached. “The Decepticons aren’t slowing down, Swoop. I can’t afford to slow down either.”</p><p>“You can and you must,” Ratchet countered, moving up to stand next to Prowl’s berth. “You’re crashing more and more often, Prowl, and for less provocation. We need you fit more than we need you working fast.” He tapped one of the monitors. “If this keeps up, I’m putting you on medical leave.”</p><p>That wouldn’t just slow him down, that would stop him in his tracks completely. He couldn’t afford that. Pit, the <em>Autobots </em>couldn’t afford that. “What do I have to do, Ratchet?”</p><p>“Slow. Down,” Ratchet repeated. “Fuel. Recharge. And I’m setting a check-up guard for you.”</p><p>“Jazz has enough on his plate. You can’t ask him to sparkling-sit me as well.”</p><p>“Who said anything about Jazz?” Ratchet grinned, and it was as close to evil as Prowl had ever seen. “No. Swoop will come check up on you. And if you harass my apprentice, it’s medbay full-time for you.”</p><p>Damn. Prowl was trapped, and by the looks of things, Ratchet knew it as well. “Alright.” He dimmed his optics. “I agree.”</p><p>“Cute that you thought you had a choice. Get some more rest – I’ll discharge you in an hour, and Swoop will go with you.”</p><p>“Yes, Ratchet.”</p><p> </p><p>The first time Prowl had an actual sit-down fuel break with Swoop in the rec room, people stared. Swoop clearly tried not to let it bother him, but he ducked his head and made himself smaller than he actually was.</p><p>“Do you want to go elsewhere?” Prowl wondered. Come to think of it, he’d never seen the Dinobots in the rec room. “We can fuel in my office?”</p><p>“Me Swoop fine.” Swoop ducked his head again, but he smiled. “It good for you Prowl to sit out here with other Autobots.”</p><p>Not that any other Autobots were sitting with them. Most of them gave their table a wide berth, and Swoop more than a few incredulous looks.</p><p>Something about the whole situation made Prowl uncomfortable. And it wasn’t Swoop, sitting there quiet and polite as you please, alien frame hunched over and a timid smile on his face when he looked at Prowl. Swoop wasn’t what made the scene seem so wrong.</p><p>Prowl’s tanks lurched when he realized it was the Autobots’ treatment of Swoop that didn’t seem right to him. And yet, it was nothing out of the ordinary.</p><p>No wonder the Dinobots didn’t fuel in the rec room.</p><p>“How’re you enjoying your work with Ratchet?” he asked impulsively.</p><p>Swoop brightened immediately. “It so good! Me Swoop learn a lot already! Him Ratchet say me Swoop have real po-ten-tial!”</p><p>“That’s good,” Prowl agreed, offering a smile of his own. “I’m sorry I’m taking time away from your learning.”</p><p>Swoop shook his head decisively, the movement somehow seeming twice as big because of the red crest on his head. “You Prowl focus on getting better. Me Swoop learning plenty.” He pointed at Prowl, smile broadening into a smirk. “This good chance for me Swoop learn to wrangle stubborn mecha.”</p><p>Prowl chuckled. “I worry sometimes what influence Ratchet has on you and First Aid. We’ll end up with three ornery medics.”</p><p>Swoop frowned. “Me Swoop not know that word.”</p><p>Really? Didn’t the Dinobots have standard language packs installed? Then again, they didn’t exactly use normal speech patterns. “Ornery? It means… difficult. Ill-tempered.”</p><p>Swoop grinned again. “That not true. Him First Aid total sweetspark. And me Swoop…Me Swoop not so sweetspark, but him Ratchet much worse than me Swoop.”</p><p>“I don’t doubt it.” Prowl drained his cube. “I have to get back. Will I see you later?”</p><p>“Yes.” Swoop nodded decisively. “Me Swoop come by, remind you Prowl to stop work and recharge.”</p><p>“Good.” Prowl stood, gave Swoop a nod. “I’ll see you later then.”</p><p> </p><p>Enough days passed with Swoop meeting Prowl for fuel and walks from his office to his quarters that it became a habit. It even became something Prowl looked forward to. Swoop was cheerful, most of the time, and he had a dry wit that Prowl honestly hadn’t expected and very much enjoyed. Spending time with him was a pleasure.</p><p>So when Swoop suddenly didn’t show for their evening fuel, Prowl was more than a little surprised. Swoop was too dependable to just not show up, and he’d confirmed their plans just a few hours ago. He’d seemed fine earlier in the day too, sweet and happy as usual, doing his best to ignore the looks and attitudes that Prowl still hadn’t quite figured out how to handle. So for him not to show up now was very out of character.</p><p>It took only a few minutes and two unanswered comm calls for Prowl to decide to go find him.</p><p>Medbay was his first stop. Ratchet was reassembling something Prowl would rather prefer not to examine too closely. First Aid, bless his spark, was watching avidly, but there was no sign of Swoop.</p><p>Ratchet frowned at Prowl’s question. “He was here earlier, but he’s had the afternoon off. Had some studying to do.”</p><p>“I think he said he was going to sit outside, since the weather was nice,” First Aid supplied, not looking away from what Prowl realized was actually the internals of an arm mid-rewiring. He steeled himself and firmly kept his gaze somewhere on the wall behind Ratchet’s shoulder. “But I saw him going the other way after lunch, so I don’t think he’s actually left.”</p><p>“Swoop can be a bit distracted, especially lately,” and here Ratchet smirked, for some reason, “but he doesn’t tend to be late. Have you checked the Dinobot cavern?”</p><p>Prowl hadn’t. “That was going to be my next stop.” He hesitated. “Do you think they’ll let me in? The Dinobots haven’t had much reason to trust us.”</p><p>Ratchet looked up at him. “Finally caught on to that, have you?” he said dryly. “No, they haven’t, but I think you’ll find you’re a special case now. Go on, see if he’s there. And if he isn’t, see if Grimlock can tell you where he is.”</p><p>“You don’t seem worried,” Prowl said, and it was almost an accusation. Ratchet was as close to real carrier as the Dinobots had, why wasn’t he concerned? Prowl was concerned, worried even, and he’d only really known Swoop for a little over two weeks.</p><p>“Because I know Grimlock has his team well in hand.” Ratchet straightened and wiped his hands on a cloth before nodding at First Aid to take over. “If something’s wrong with Swoop, genuinely wrong, he’ll come to me. If it’s something else, Grimlock will handle him.” Another sharp look at Prowl. “They’ve learned by now that they can only really count on themselves.”</p><p>Prowl winced. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about that.”</p><p>“Don’t tell me, tell them. Now get out of here.” He glanced back down at the arm on the berth. “The red one, Aid, or the index finger will lose sensation.”</p><p>Prowl took that as his cue to leave. He had no need to know more about how arms actually were wired. And now he really wanted to find Swoop.</p><p>He’d never entered the Dinobot cavern before, though he knew where it was. He wasn’t sure of the protocol for getting inside – it was a common room of sorts, he knew that much, so would he be expected to knock? Or to walk right in?</p><p>Before, he thought, he might have walked right in. But he was coming to realize that this was the Dinobots’ space. He wasn’t welcome unless they actually said so.</p><p>He knocked.</p><p>After a moment, the door opened to reveal Snarl’s unimpressed visage. “What you Prowl want?”</p><p>“I wanted to see Swoop,” Prowl offered, aiming for a balance between tentative and authoritative. Like he was there to see a friend, which he actually was, now that he considered it. The realization had him relaxing slightly, and it was clear that the Dinobot in front of him noticed the sudden lack of tension. “We were supposed to meet for fuel, but he didn’t show. I wanted to make sure he was alright.”</p><p>Snarl stared at him for a moment longer before stepping back. “You Prowl be kind to him Swoop.”</p><p>Prowl didn’t reply. He didn’t know what to say.</p><p>He followed Snarl inside, looking around curiously as he did. The Dinobot common room was huge, which befit such big mechs. There was a large sofa, a corner full of pillows, a vid screen, even a rudimentary energon dispenser that had Wheeljack written all over it. There really was no need for them to go to the main rec room unless they wanted to.</p><p>“Him Swoop up there,” Snarl said, pointing at a narrow set of steps cut into the mountain. “You Prowl go up.”</p><p>Prowl nodded as Snarl walked away. The steps were narrow but deep, not impossible to navigate, though he suspected that any of the Dinobots would have trouble, since all of them were bigger than him. Most likely, these steps were for Ratchet’s and Wheeljack’s use. Prowl had to hug the rock-face to ascend safely.</p><p>The room at the top was a rough square, carved into the rock, with an opening in the ceiling that let in a bit of light. The floor was covered in meshes and pillows, turning it into a comfortable nest instead of a dark hole in the wall. And in the middle of the nest, Swoop sat bent over a datapad.</p><p>“Hello, Swoop.” Prowl stopped at the top step. “Can I come in?”</p><p>Swoop didn’t look up from the datapad, but he seemed to shrink in on himself. Much as he tended to do in the rec room when the others stared at him. It hurt something inside of Prowl to see.</p><p>“If you Prowl want,” Swoop replied quietly. “Me Swoop sorry not come for fuel. Him Ratchet will be mad.”</p><p>“Ratchet won’t be mad.” Prowl walked closer slowly and sat down next to Swoop, not quite close enough to touch but close enough to see what kind of datapad he was reading. It seemed to be a dictionary of some sort, strangely enough. “I talked to him before I came here. He’s not angry with you.”</p><p>“Me Swoop failed in duty.”</p><p>Prowl tried a small smile. Swoop didn’t seem to notice. He did notice the two energon cubes Prowl pulled from subspace though. “You didn’t. Want to fuel with me? Unless you’ve fueled already?”</p><p>Finally, Swoop put the datapad down. “Me Swoop haven’t,” he admitted. “Me Swoop forgot.”</p><p>“Then here.” Prowl handed him the cube, and waited until Swoop had settled next to him again and taken a sip. “Though if I can ask… Why are you reading a dictionary?”</p><p>Swoop sighed. “Dinobots dumb. Me Swoop dumb.”</p><p>Prowl frowned. This sounded like something he suspected the Dinobots had heard far too much, and from mecha who should have known better. Swoop deserved much better than that. “You’re not stupid, Swoop. None of you are.”</p><p>“Me Swoop not speak well. Not know right words. Use words wrong.” Swoop toyed with the datapad, one finger gliding along the edge. “Me Swoop dumb. Useless. Waste of time. Never be trusted medic. Only good for fighting Decepticons, and not much good at that.”</p><p>“Swoop,” Prowl said carefully, trying not to reveal how hearing Swoop talk about himself like that made him feel. “Who told you this?”</p><p>“Everyone.” Swoop sighed, seemingly sensing that Prowl wouldn’t accept that answer. “Him Huffer. Him Sideswipe. Him Inferno. Everyone. They say me Swoop dumb, me Swoop lack programming. Me Swoop made of inferior materials. Me Swoop’s processor sub-par.”</p><p>With every word, Prowl felt his anger rise. Before Swoop could say anything more, he reached out and put his hand on Swoop’s arm. “No. None of that is true, not for any of you.”</p><p>Slowly, Swoop looked at him. “Us Dinobots built of Earth materials.”</p><p>“There is no inferiority to Earth materials. You were built here, but that doesn’t make you lesser than anyone else.” Prowl shifted until their sides were touching. “Besides, Ratchet uses Earth materials in his repairs. We’re all of us made of Earth materials by now.”</p><p>Swoop leaned into him. Prowl felt almost strange, being the one turned to for comfort. But it felt really nice, having Swoop close like this.</p><p>“Me Swoop not able to download information like you. Me Swoop’s processor bad.”</p><p>“No.” Prowl shook his head. “I know Ratchet and Wheeljack did good work when they built you and your brothers, Swoop. Or you wouldn’t have been able to learn as you have.” He turned his head, made sure he was looking Swoop in the optics. There was something glowing in that blue that resonated in his spark. “There is <em>nothing </em>wrong with your processor, Swoop.”</p><p>Swoop stared back, and for a moment Prowl couldn’t look away.</p><p>“You Prowl sure?” Swoop whispered.</p><p>“I’m absolutely sure.” Prowl was whispering as well, though he wasn’t sure why. “Having to learn the old-fashioned way doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It just means you work differently. And why shouldn’t you?” He touched Swoop’s arm again, fingers sliding down until his hand was resting over Swoop’s. “You’re unique, Swoop.” His fingers tightened. “If you want, I can prove it to you.”</p><p>“How?” Swoop’s optics were big and bright.</p><p>“You’ve hard-linked for information before, haven’t you?” Prowl leaned back slightly, raised his free hand to rest over the cover on his chest.</p><p>“Me Swoop have. Him Ratchet taught like that.” Swoop stared as Prowl revealed his cable. “You Prowl would hard-link with me Swoop?”</p><p>“I would,” Prowl confirmed. “I’d like to show you there’s nothing wrong with your mind.”</p><p>Swoop leaned his head forward to reveal the cover at the back of his neck. “Me Swoop would like that.”</p><p>It took only a moment to connect to Swoop’s port. With only one link there wouldn’t be much information exchange, they couldn’t establish a loop, but Prowl would still be able to see and understand how Swoop’s processor handled new information uploads. “There. Are you comfortable?”</p><p>Swoop nodded, leaning back against Prowl’s side. His confirmation came across the link clear as day.</p><p>“Good,” Prowl murmured. “Now let me see, Swoop.”</p><p>Prowl had done his share of processor connections. His own was uniquely qualified to run multiple processing threads at once, which meant that Ratchet often brought him in for complicated debug routines and deep scans. Still, he’d never seen a processor like Swoop’s.</p><p>“You have more capacity than you’re using,” he commented softly. “There seems to be some form of obstruction preventing its use. I haven’t seen the like before.”</p><p>“Me Swoop… damaged?” Swoop’s voice was tiny, almost scared.</p><p>“No, not in the least.” Prowl squeezed Swoop’s fingers again, realizing he’d never let go. “More like… incomplete. Like there’s a connection that should have been there that hasn’t formed yet. I’m sure there’s something could be done for that, if you want to. Maybe Perceptor can help, or even Chip Chase. I’m sure there’s a solution. If you want there to be.” He rested his free hand on Swoop’s back.</p><p>“Me Swoop would like that,” Swoop replied, voice still a whisper. “Me Swoop want talk normal.”</p><p>“I can help with that right now,” Prowl offered. “I can see the processing code of your language trees, they haven’t formed fully either. If you want, I can extend them manually. It doesn’t hurt, and I think it would help. Do you want me to try?”</p><p>Swoop leaned even heavier into him. “Yes please.”</p><p>“Alright then. This may feel a bit strange. It may be best if you dim your optics and try to relax.” Prowl settled back against the cushions as well, letting Swoop curl up close to him. “I’ll be as careful as I can.”</p><p>“Me Swoop trust you Prowl,” came Swoop’s almost shy response. “You Prowl kind to me Swoop.”</p><p>There went his spark again, fluttering at the words. Prowl ignored it. “You deserve to be treated kindly, Swoop. You’re a good mech.” He stroked Swoop’s back slowly, encouraging him to sink down until he was almost in Prowl’s lap. Swoop seemed to be humming slightly, a low frequency that was almost a rumble but not quite. It reminded Prowl of the noises he’d heard Jazz make when curled up in someone’s arms.</p><p>It was… cute. Swoop was being really cute, and he probably didn’t even mean to. Prowl rubbed small circles on his back, unconsciously finding the spots that made Swoop hum louder.</p><p>“Okay,” he said softly. “I’m going to start now. Let me know if anything’s uncomfortable for you.”</p><p>Swoop didn’t reply, but Prowl could feel his agreement over the link as he went to work on Swoop’s language trees.</p><p>There was a lot he could work with. The base structures were there, ready for use, but everything was unfinished. Some parts were even still locked, as if data simply hadn’t been uploaded yet. Prowl remembered when Swoop and Snarl had been constructed – the focus had been on their battle prowess, on Swoop’s flight capabilities, so different from anything any of them had seen before. It was clear from what he was seeing in Swoop’s processor that their mental capabilities had been severely down-prioritized.</p><p>Editing Swoop’s language trees was fiddly work, and Prowl reveled in it. There were so many tiny fixes that added up to big changes, and every now and then he managed to fix something that led to cascade corrections and let brand new connections bloom. It was very rewarding, and Prowl barely noticed his hand absently stroking Swoop’s back, or the way the Dinobot got heavier and heavier in his lap.</p><p>Finally, the work was done. Not complete by any definition, but done as far as he could take it without some more input from coding experts like Perceptor and Ratchet. He pulled back from the connection and powered his optics back on – when had he dimmed them? He couldn’t remember – only to realize the room was completely dark. The cavern around him was quiet. And Swoop was in deep recharge in his lap.</p><p>No wonder. A quick check of his chronometer revealed that it was well past midnight. He hadn’t meant to be working this long. It was a good thing Swoop was in recharge, and running a deep defrag by the feel of it. His processor was even pulling a bit on Prowl’s processor capacity to get the job done, which wasn’t unexpected. Prowl had made a lot of minor changes that needed to be integrated.</p><p>Well, there were worse places to be stuck. Swoop had plenty of pillows that Prowl could lean back against, even enough to support his doorwings, and Prowl managed to pull one of the larger meshes over both of them. It was, dare he think it, cozy.</p><p>Recharge came easier than it had in a good long while.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>…smoother than I thought…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>…this is really nice…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>…so shiny, all that clean contrast…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>…pretty wings too…</em>
</p><p>Prowl woke slowly, groggily, a sign that his processor had been busy as he recharged. He couldn’t feel any repairs that needed integrating, nothing wrong as such, although there was a lingering soreness in his back and wings of the kind he often got when he’d spent too long hunched over his desk. Still he was very comfortable, bolstered by softness on all sides, and much warmer than usual. Much, much too comfortable to move just yet.</p><p>
  <em>…fixed my words. Can’t believe it. He’s so nice…</em>
</p><p>
  <em>…probably not interested. Why would he be, right…</em>
</p><p>Slowly, he became aware of the words drifting at the periphery of his thoughts. He was fairly sure they weren’t his, but he couldn’t quite understand why there’d be words in his mind if he didn’t put them there. Without onlining his optics, he began a quick systems check.</p><p>Everything seemed to be in order. He was running a bit low on fuel, but that would be remedied soon enough. And… And apparently, he was linked up to someone. Well, that would explain the words. And now that he was aware of them, they were much harder to ignore.</p><p>
  <em>…came here by himself. That’s brave. And really nice. He’s much nicer than anyone knows, really. I don’t know why he’s by himself all the time. And he’s so pretty, too, with those colors and those wings and that chevron and he’ll never look at me twice, I know that much. But he stayed last night, and that has to mean something. Well, I was kind of on top him, so he couldn’t actually go anywhere. But still. He’s still here.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>… Primus, he’s shiny.</em>
</p><p>Prowl onlined his optics in sheer surprise. It took less than a second for him to remember where he was and why. Swoop was curled up next to him, curled around him, fingers stroking Prowl’s arm.</p><p>Prowl blamed the lingering recharge protocols in his mind for how his mouth opened without his consent. “…did you just call me shiny?”</p><p>Swoop blinked and startled back, putting as much distance between them as Prowl’s cable would allow. Firewalls slammed up, blocking his access to Swoop’s thoughts. Prowl felt colder immediately.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Swoop said, looking away. “I forgot we were still linked. Just… forget what you heard?”</p><p>Forget what he heard? Prowl wasn’t sure he wanted to do that. And he’d really like for Swoop to cuddle closer again, so he could share that nice warmth. The Dinobot cavern was colder than he was used to.</p><p>“Did you not mean it?” he asked cautiously.</p><p>Swoop still didn’t look back at him. “Does it matter? It’s not like it changes anything.”</p><p>His language had really improved. Prowl set a mental reminder to himself to talk to Ratchet and Perceptor about it. Grimlock and Wheeljack should probably be there to.</p><p>But that was for later. For now, Swoop was still looking uncomfortable. And Prowl really wanted to fix that.</p><p>“Why wouldn’t it change anything?” He reached for Swoop, slowly enough that Swoop could move away if he wanted to.</p><p>He didn’t. But he stared at Prowl’s hand on his arm as if the touch was unexpected.</p><p>Somehow, Prowl found himself hesitating as well. He looked from where his hand was on Swoop’s arm, up to the blue optics that met his. “Do you… Do you really think I’m shiny?”</p><p>Swoop sighed and looked down. “I think you’re beautiful.”</p><p>Prowl blinked. Even hearing it again out loud, he didn’t know quite what to do.</p><p>Others ended up in this situation. Not Prowl.</p><p>What did Jazz do when someone thought he was pretty..?</p><p>No, scratch that, because Jazz just dragged them into the nearest berth, and Prowl preferred to do things the other way around.</p><p>And really, there was an answer right there.</p><p>“Swoop, would you…” He trailed off, not knowing what to ask. They already fueled together every day, several times a day, so asking Swoop to meet him for lunch was a bit unnecessary. They couldn’t really go for a drive, and he had no idea what Swoop liked to do in his spare time.</p><p>Well, maybe the simplest solution was a good one. “Swoop, would you go out with me? On a date?”</p><p>Swoop stared. And stared some more.</p><p>Prowl feared he’d misjudged the situation entirely, even with what Swoop had said.</p><p>“Really?” Swoop said finally, optics brightening and lips curling up into a smile. “Me?”</p><p>Prowl had to smile back. “I don’t see anyone else here, do you? Besides,” he shuffled closer, close enough to feel the heat of Swoop’s plating again, “you do think I’m shiny.”</p><p>Swoop laughed and leaned against him. “That I do.”</p><p>It felt very natural, sitting close to Swoop like this. The warmth of him, the small smile that had become so familiar over several shared meals.</p><p>He snorted as he realized that by Jazz’s definition, they’d been dating a while already without either of them noticing.</p><p>“What’s so funny?” Swoop turned his head enough to brush his forehead against Prowl’s temple.</p><p>“It’s not that funny. I’m simply wondering if we’ve had our first date already.”</p><p>Swoop laughed again, and Prowl’s spark danced at the sound. “Maybe. If that’s true, though, I wouldn’t mind another.”</p><p>Prowl rested his head against Swoop’s, chevron touching the red crest on his helm. For all that the position was awkward, his back and wings sore and twinging after the late night the day before, he was supremely comfortable there.</p><p>Above them, the light coming through the gap in the ceiling brightened by increments.</p><p>Finally, Prowl stirred. “I have a duty shift today.”</p><p>Swoop twisted to look up at him, a pretty smile on his face. “Fuel with me first?”</p><p>“I’d love to.” Finally, Prowl disconnected his cable from Swoop’s port. He stood and offered Swoop a hand. “Here, or in the rec?”</p><p>Swoop took his hand and got to his feet, but he looked shocked. “You’d fuel here with us? With the Dinobots?”</p><p>Had any Autobot but Wheeljack and Ratchet ever fueled in the Dinobot cavern before? Judging by the look on Swoop’s face, Prowl didn’t think so. “I would,” he said simply. “If that’s what you want.”</p><p>Swoop stared at him for a moment longer before grinning widely. “Wait here. I’ll get us something, okay?”</p><p>Swoop was adorable. Prowl couldn’t help but grin back. “Hiding away for a while longer, are we? That sounds nice.”</p><p>Swoop’s smile was a brilliant, warm thing, and Prowl could feel himself blushing under the warmth of it. When Swoop’s expression turned considering, and he took a step closer, Prowl didn’t move away.</p><p>Somehow, Swoop’s hand cradling his cheek felt natural. Swoop’s optics were very big and very pretty this close up.</p><p>“Can I?” Swoop asked, voice almost a whisper.</p><p>“Please,” Prowl breathed, and then there was no more distance between them, and Swoop’s lips were as warm as Prowl had imagined. Prowl’s spark span faster, his vents stalling a bit – which was kind of embarrassing, but it didn’t matter. Swoop’s arms were strong around him, his wings shielding Prowl from the light, and Prowl forgot to think.</p><p>An endless few seconds later, Swoop pulled back. He looked awed, and Prowl just wanted to kiss him again.</p><p>So he did.</p><p>“Don’t you have a shift,” Swoop murmured against his lips.</p><p>Prowl looked up his schedule and Swoop’s, and made a few small changes. He tacked on a note to Ratchet with an apology for making Swoop two hours late for his shift ‘for personal reasons’.</p><p>“Not anymore. I moved it to the afternoon.” He pressed back into the kiss. His HUD lit up with an incoming notice from Ratchet. The words simply read ‘About time. Be good to my kid.’</p><p>Ratchet was a good mech.</p><p>“Should I get us fuel then?” Swoop said, but he didn’t show any signs of letting go.</p><p>“Soon,” Prowl decided, and melted against Swoop again.</p><p>He was in no hurry to do anything else. Not for a good long while.</p>
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